Pamela Hawkins

Victories in the legislative arena are homegrown in Tennessee. Local professionals, volunteers, LGBTQ people, and allies make them happen. In 2018, TEP received no national financial support for our legislative efforts, but we beat all the discriminatory bills in that legislative session because Tennesseans took action. We welcome your support again in 2019 because Tennessee is one of the top states for the number of discriminatory bills filed every year. While your contribution to our legislative lobbying efforts through this portal is not tax deductible, it allows us to invest in professional, experienced lobbying and statewide organizing to bolster our defenses. We are grateful for your support.

Make your year-end tax deductible contribution to the TEP Foundation to put us in a strong position to advance the values of equality and inclusion in Tennessee in the new year. Your contribution helps us expand the work of our regional committees to address discrimination throughout Tennessee. Your contribution helps us register voters and engage the media. Your contribution helps us raise the profile of the issue of state preemption of local solutions for equality. Your contribution helps us monitor discriminatory legislation. We are grateful for your support.

We face new challenges every week--from Supreme Court rulings and important vacancies in the courts to discriminatory state legislation. We can expect new attacks on marriage equality, transgender rights and safety, and job and public accommodations access. Help us bolster our defenses in Tennessee with your contribution. Note: Contributions given through this portal are to Tennessee Equality Project and are not deductible for purposes of federal income tax.

A foster care and adoption license to discriminate measure was recently put into a health and human services funding bill in the House Appropriations Committee.

The “Aderholt Amendment” allows foster care and adoption service providers across the country to discriminate against children and prospective parents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and marital status.

We need your help to tell Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker: NO ADOPTION DISCRIMINATION in the 2019 Appropriations bill! We will deliver hard copies to their offices.

1,048 signatures

Dear Senators Alexander and Corker:

We urge you to act to oppose the Aderholt amendment allowing discrimination in foster care and adoption services in the FY19 House Labor-HHS appropriations bill and ensure that the measure is NOT included in any Senate or final appropriations bill.

It would allow taxpayer-funded foster care and adoption service providers to discriminate against children in care and against prospective parents, based on sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and marital status.

The measure breaks the cardinal rule of child welfare services: to act in the best interest of the child. This amendment would actually HARM CHILDREN.

This amendment would greatly harm the 440,000 children in foster care, particularly the 117,000 who are waiting to be adopted into loving, forever homes. There is a crisis in foster care due to the huge shortage of available families for children. Each year, over half the children waiting to be adopted do not find a loving home, and most devastatingly, over 17,000 foster youth age out of care without a forever family. Those youth are at greater risk of involvement with the criminal justice system, homelessness, unemployment, and being trafficked.

Speak out against this poison pill amendment,; let your leadership know you will not support a funding bill with the measure included, and vote against any appropriations measure that includes such discriminatory provisions. Thank you for considering our views.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring so the President will name a successor who must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Sign to urge Senator Alexander and Senator Corker to speak up for the LGBTQ community during the confirmation process. TEP will deliver a hard copy of the signatures to their offices.

1,068 signatures

Senator Alexander and Senator Corker:

When the President announces his choice to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, we urge you to speak up for the rights of LGBTQ people. It is vitally important that members of the Supreme Court support the principle of "equal protection" and that Justice Kennedy's successor uphold the existing rights of LGBTQ people and oppose discrimination against LGBTQ people. We respectfully ask you to raise these concerns publicly and not to vote for any nominee who supports discrimination.

We call on iStock/Getty to remove anti-LGBTQ images and anti-LGBTQ tags from images in their collection. At a time when hate crimes against LGBTQ people are rising in Tennessee and other states, companies have a responsibility to take steps to promote respect. It is outrageous that a major collection of images used by the public would contain pictures and tags that demean and attack the LGBTQ community.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and her husband Bruce recently lost their son Max. Members of the LGBT community and allies can leave their condolences here and we will deliver them to the Mayor. Please include your city in your comments. Thank you for showing your love for Mayor Barry and her family.

Add your name and urge Governor Haslam to veto SB1085/HB1111, the Sneaky LGBT Erasure Bill. After you sign the petition, share it with your friends. We will deliver a hard copy of the signatures to the Governor's Office. Your voice can help determine whether he uses the VETO pen or the BECOMES LAW pen!

5,719 signatures

Dear Governor Haslam,

We ask you to veto SB1085/HB1111. This bill, as the Attorney General has noted, is broadly written. Its vagueness could result in conflicts with existing laws about judicial interpretation. These conflicts are likely to cause discrimination against LGBTQ people, particularly with respect to marriage, adoption, and legal documents. This bill risks subjecting Tennessee to the same scrutiny that North Carolina has received. We cannot afford hundreds of millions of dollars in economic boycotts and sanctions. Please, veto this bill so we can avoid judicial chaos and costly discrimination. Thank you for considering our views.

On January 27, Slate reported that the EEOC may withdraw from a case involving job discrimination against Amiee Stephens, a transgender woman. New Commission chair Victoria Lipnic said "Administration-related changes" were the reason.

TAKE ACTION!

1. Send your own email to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at info@eeoc.gov and urge the Commission to continue pursuing cases of LGBT job discrimination.

2. Sign the petition. If we reach or exceed 1000 signatures, we will deliver them to the Nashville EEOC office.

388 signatures

Dear Commissioners,

We urge you to continue viewing job discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people as sex discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In particular, you must continue to pursue the case of Amiee Stephens and other cases like it.

Your own report indicates there were 1768 charges of anti-LGBT job discrimination in 2016. In many states, there are no explicit protections for LGBT workers. Without your efforts, LGBT people are often defenseless against job discrimination. You must continue to pursue these cases.

An anonymous donor has offered us a $2000 challenge. Make your tax deductible investment in any amount to help us meet the challenge for National Coming Out Day. We will run the challenge until October 18.

Regardless of whether you can give, consider posting a National Coming Out Day video and tag us on Facebook or on Twitter. Let's show Tennessee the vibrancy and diversity of our community and allies.

Your contribution helps fund educational programs around the state. For example, in November we are offering training sessions for clergy throughout Tennessee to help them advocate more effectively for the LGBT community.

As a supporter of Tennessee Equality Project, your contribution funds the advancement of policies through direct and grass roots lobbying which protect the rights of LGBT people and their families here at home in Tennessee. Contributions to TEP (a 501(c)(4) organization) are not tax deductible.

If you would prefer to make a tax-deductible contribution to Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, click here.

Click here to see who is supporting the work of equality in Tennessee.

Other Giving Options

Some supporters prefer to write a check or make monthly donations to Tennessee Equality Project through automatic bank drafts. Consider creating “Tennessee Equality Project” as a regular payee with your bank’s online service.

Checks and automated bank drafts may be mailed to the following address:

Target's trans-inclusive policies are under attack in Tennessee. A Mt Juliet pastor's rant went viral and this week at a Hendersonville Target, protesters shouted religious wrath at employees and customers. But we know that Tennessee loves Target and it's time to show it!

As former TEP Board member Ellyahnna Hall (pictured) notes:

"I support Target for trying to provide a safe space for all people. I'm a trans woman and I've faced the dangers of not having access to restrooms that corespond to my gender identity. If opponents are really concerned with safety then let's focus on tougher rape laws and enforcing those, not creating a fake danger that doesn't exist."

Sign the petition statement and show Target some love. We'll deliver hard copies of the petition to select Target locations in Tennessee.

1,050 signatures

Tennessee loves Target. I support the company's transgender-inclusive policies and I will continue to shop at their stores.

We urge you to veto HB1840, which allows counselors to turn away clients based on the counselor's biases and values. This bill puts the focus on the desires of counselors rather than on the needs of clients, damaging the counseling profession and putting clients at risk.

An anti-bullying amendment was stripped from the bill in the House Health Committee leaving youth vulnerable in areas where mental health services are not widely available.

As a supporter of Tennessee Equality Project Foundation, your contribution funds much needed educational projects and programs which advance the well being of LGBT people and their families here at home in Tennessee. Unlike other organizations that advance equality, every dollar contributed to TEP Foundation is spent here in Tennessee.

Click here to see who is supporting the work of equality in Tennessee.

If you prefer to make contributions to TEP Foundation without using PayPal, click this link.

Other Giving Options

Some supporters prefer to write a check or make monthly donations to TEP Foundation through automatic bank drafts. Consider creating “TEP Foundation” as a regular payee with your bank’s online service.

Checks and automated bank drafts may be mailed to the following address: